Cinders Rocks My Socks or Chidarake no Bara
by HULY
Summary: It's Cinderella with some twists! Kurama is you average demon-stuck-in-a-human-body: a totall wuss who gardens for his step-dad. When a tournament comes up, Kurama can't go. So he turns to his dead boyfriend. KuraKuro Implied HieiKura


{Cinderella belongs to... Someone who's not me and Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. If Chidarake no Bara doesn't mean bloody roses or anything close to that (which with my luck it'll mean strawberry wine or something) don't blame me. Blame the internet! R&R!}  
  
Cinders Rocks My Socks or Chidarake no Bara  
  
The Flying Shadow And Red Rose go together So very sweetly.  
  
Once upon a time, there lived a silver kitsune and he was very sad, for his boyfriend had died and he himself was half dead.  
Before him appeared a traveling ningen female. She had a big belly, and a kind smile.  
That day, the silver kitsune named Youko Kurama merged with her embryo and became the woman named Shiori's son, Shuichi Minnimano.  
  
Sixteen years later...  
  
"Mama-Haha!" yelled Suici. "Shuichi won't give me his pocky!"  
"That's nice, Suui-chan," Shiori said hurriedly, as she gulped down her breakfast. "Tell me all about it when I get home!"  
Suici groaned.  
"Dammned old hag..."  
"I heard that, Suuici!" His father, Kazuya, boomed. "Don't bad-mouth Shiori like that!"  
Sighing, the preteen boy marched into his stepbrother's room and took his treat.  
"Hey!" Shuichi tried to grab back his pocky.  
Suuici grinned.  
"Shiori-chan wouldn't want you to get violent." he said, and popped the chocolate coated cookie-stick into his mouth.  
When his stepbrother had gone, Shuichi, who we will call Kurama, muttered, "If I were still a demon..."  
  
Later that day, Kurama was walking home from school and...  
"I heard that she's going out with the teachers." said a boy, pointing at him.  
The hair rose on the back of Kurama's neck.  
"I'M A HE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! AND I WOULDN'T DATE A TEACHER IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!!!" he screamed.  
The boy that had mistaken him for a girl ran off.  
"SHUICHI MINNIMANO!!!" yelled his gym teacher, Shiseiji-sama, who had chosen to walk home that day. "YOU DO NOT ATTACK ANOTHER STUDENT LIKE THAT!!! IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT HE THOUGHT YOU WERE A GIRL!!! YOU WON'T CUT THAT GODDAMNED HAIR OF YOURS!!! YOU ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!"  
"Great," thought Kurama, sighing. "Now I'll have to spend my time slaving away for Kazuya..."  
  
As it turns out, he was right. Kurama's lazy-ass stepfather made him do everything there was to be done. Dishes, laundry, dusting, vacuming, ect, ect.  
There was one chore Kurama didn't mind: Gardening.  
He tended the roses every free hour he had. But soon the thorns cut his ivory white skin, smeering it with red blood. Kurama didn't mind, though. Even when Suuici started calling him 'Chidarake no Bara' which means bloody rose.  
  
A couple of weeks later, Kurama was covered in blood and dirt because Kazuya wouldn't let him bathe often. Thanks to the roses, he didn't smell bad.  
That day, an invitation came in the mail, inviting all the strongest males in the house to a tournament of strenghth, wit, and cunning that took place on the next full moon.  
"Awright!" Suuici ran around the house. "I'm gonna win and all the girls will love me!"  
"Don't kid yourself, boy," Kazuya grinned. "It's your old man who's gonna bring home the prize."  
"Can I go?" asked Kurama.  
"No way!" said his stepdad. "You've gotta watch over the house while we're away. Shiori-chan will be there cheering me on, right?"  
Shiori yawned.  
"I've got night-shift."  
"Danggit."  
"Hey dad! It says that there are gonna be demons competing!"  
"That's a load of bull."  
"But Dad!"  
Kurama walked into the backyard.  
"Damn, damn, damn!" he mutterred. "If only I were still Youko. Then I could get there with no one recognizing me and win that tournament!"  
"Kura-chan," whispered a voice.  
Kurama spun around.  
"Kuronue?!"  
"Yes Kurama. It's me." A figure appeared from out of the shadows.  
"You're alive?!"  
"No, Kura-chan. But I've come to help you." said Kuronue. "You see, there's a little demon there. Half fire, half ice. If you beat him, your destiny will be fulfilled and your life will be forever happy. But if you don't, you'll spend the rest of your life as a mortal."  
"But I can't go! I'm still human!" Kurama stared hopelessly at the ground.  
"Here." Kuronue handed him a bottle. "Take this when they leave. It'll last untill about midnight, and be warned: if the magic wears out and you're still in the arena, you will most definitly spend the rest of your days human."  
"Thank you." whispered Kurama as Kuronue faded away, and ran inside.  
  
A few days later, the moon was full and red.  
"ARRGH!!!" cried Suuici, dropping a weight on his foot. "OW OW OUCH!!!"  
"Stupid kid!" yelled Kazuya. "Can't even lift that measly ten pounds? You're worthless!"  
"Shut up, Dad!" Suuichi massaged his foot. "I'm just warming up!"  
Kurama sat on the sofa, looking bored as usual.  
"Little hamsters, big adventures, ham ham hamtaro..."  
"Chidarake no Bara! We're headin' out!" called Suuici. "Sayanora, sucker!"  
"Oh, an' kid!" Kazuya tossed a package to Kurama. "Shiori got you some shoes. 'Specialy fitted for you. Made of pink silk. Matches your feminine personality, ne?"  
Chuckling, Suuici and Kazuya left. Kurama glared after them.  
When he was sure the coast was clear, he took a gulp of the juice that Kuronue had given him.  
The transformation took only a few seconds.  
Looking in a mirror, Kurama saw himself; the legendary bandit Youko Kurama.  
"I'll put on the shoes. Shiori-chan ment well." he thought, and opened the box Kazuya had thrown to him.  
The shoes were more like slippers. The soles were made of strong bamboo, but when Kurama tried them on, they were as light as a feather.  
"Hope I don't tear 'em..." he said to himself, and sped off.  
  
Hiei sighed as he watched fight after fight.  
"This is boring. Why did I invite so many ningens?" he thought to himself. "They are too weak."  
The fire Koorime ate some ice cream, or 'Sweet Snow' as he liked to call it, and settled down for a nap.  
"And now for the eighth match," announced the referee, Koto. " Kazuma Kuwabara verses- Erm..."  
Koto whispered to someone next to her. They whispered back.  
"It seems we have a celebrity! Give it up for YOUKO KURAMA!!!"  
No one spoke.  
Hiei sat up straight.  
Koto sweatdropped.  
"Uh... Who's that?" asked Kuwabara.  
Everyone fell over.  
"You'll find out." said Youko, and disappeared.  
"The match has begun!" yelled Koto into her michrophone.  
"SPIRIT SWORD!!!" Kuwabara screamed, and summoned an energy sword.  
Youko reapeared behind him.  
"Rosewhip." he whispers, summoned a vine, and disarmed his oponent. "I don't want to kill you. Surrender now."  
"Erk..." Kuwabara gulped, and nodded.  
The matches went on like that; Kurama seperating the fighter from their weapon, without harming one hair on their head. They went on, until the last fight.  
"It's the moment I know I've been waiting for, where hopefully we'll all get to see some blood!" Koto grinned. "IT'S HIEI VERSES KURAMA!!!"  
The crowd went wild.  
Hiei got up from his chair and walked onto the feild.  
Kurama noticed him for the first time. Both warm and cold..  
"You see, there's a little demon there." Kuronue had said. "Half fire, half ice. If you beat him, your destiny will be fufilled and your life will be forever happy. But if you don't, you'll spend the rest of your life as a mortal."  
"Hn. It's almost midnight..." murmered Hiei.  
"What?!" asked Kurama.  
Everyone went quiet.  
"I said it's almost midnight. Just a few more seconds-"  
"Oh shit!" Kurama pivoted and ran as fast as he could.  
"It looks like this match is over!" said Koto. "Kurama has turned and ran!  
"Wait!" called Hiei. "Where are you going?!"  
He raced after Kurama.  
"DON'T FOLLOW ME!!!" the kitsune yelled to him.  
He took of one of his shoes and threw it at Hiei.  
It hit the fire Koorime in the head.  
Stunned, he fell over backwards as Kurama left his sight.  
"But I didn't even get to fight you!" Hiei glared at the shoe that had kept him from his long awaited battle. "What kind of a demon would wear these things? It looks likes something a ningen woman would give her kid..."  
  
"Stuck a mortal for eternity." Kurama sighed. "This is not how I wanted it to be."  
Wearily, he flopped onto his bed and scowled at his red locks.  
"Thanks to that kid chasing me, I've only got one shoe. Hopefully they didn't cost Shiori too much..."  
Kurama's eyes drooped. He gave in, and let sleep overcome him.  
  
"I will find that fox." thought Hiei. "But how?!"  
The little fire Koorime examaned the little pink slipper closely.  
It didn't look mass-produced. More hand-crafted. A perfect fit for one person only.  
"Hn. For a legendary kitsune, his feet sure are small."  
  
Kurama awoke with a start.  
"Shuichi, you good for nothing fruitcake!" yelled . "Get up!"  
Kurama stampeded down the stairs.  
"What is it?" he asked his stepfather.  
Glaring at him, Kazuya said, "You tell your stepbrother that there is no such thing as a demon!"  
"But Dad!" pleaded Suuici. "That Yogurt Kalama guy was a real fox demon!"  
"I have no right to destroy a child's imagination, Father." Kurama regretted not harming either of them durring the tournament. "And I believe the name you're looking for is Youko Kurama."  
"How'd you know that, brat?" asked Kazuya. "You didn't sneak off, did ya?"  
"No, I didn't." Kurama lied. "It just so happens, that he is a well known fighter who claims to be a kitsune."  
"Oh. Whatever, kid." Yawning, Kazuya dragged Suuici upstairs.  
Kurama fell onto his sofa, curled up, and, yet again, fell asleep.  
  
"Maybe if I throw another tournament he'll come." Hiei paced back and forth. "No. Something tells me he couldn't be able to come..."  
"Why not take the prince aproach?" asked a voice. "Why not search him out?"  
"Who said that?!" the little yokai demanded. "Show yourself!"  
"I have no form. Anymore, at least." it replied. "But I can tell you something: the lengendary bandit Youko Kurama does not truely exist anymore. There's a small village down the hill. If you search out a mortal there with a foot that fits his shoe, you'll find your man."  
"TELL ME WHO YOU ARE OR FACE THE CONCIQUENCES!!!" Hiei yelled, but recieved no reply.  
Glaring at the empty space around him, he picked up the small, pink slipper.  
"This is all your fault." Hiei scowled. "But if I find him, at least you'll have helped a bit."  
  
Kazuya awoke to here these words from his son:  
"Guess what, Dad! That Hiei guy is parading around town with one of Shuichi's shoes saying it belongs to Youko Kurama!"  
"WHAT?!" yelled the middle-aged man.  
"Yep! That means my stepbrother is a real, live demon!" Suuici grinned.  
"I've gotta lock him away! Is he still asleep?!"  
Suuici nodded.  
"Wanna help me, kid?"  
"Uh-huh!"  
  
Kurama opened his eyes.  
"Wha- What are you doing, Kazuya?!"  
His stepfather had him tied to a tree, and was just now putting on a few extra nots.  
"Puttin' you away, Shuichi." Kazuya grinned shakily. "Or should I say Yodo Kulama!"  
"It's Youko Kurama, thank you very much!" Kurama gritted his teeth. "And how did you find out?"  
"Do I look stupid to you?!"  
"Knock 'im out, Dad! He's gonna try an' escape if you don't!"  
"Good thinkin', kiddo."  
"Wait-!!"  
It was too late. Kazuya had hit him over the head with a shovel.  
  
"I am going to repeat myself," Hiei rolled his eyes. "I want to see every male in this town right here."  
He watched the townspeople grab their sons, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers to bring in front of him.  
"Now I want each one of you to try on this shoe."  
All the men and boys tried on the pink slipper, but it fit no one.  
"You're hiding someone." Hiei glared at the crowd of people around him. "Where is he?" The air reaked of fear.  
"There're no more men or boys here." said a man, who was Kazuya, but Hiei didn't know that. "Not one."  
"Are you positive? Then everyone will try on this shoe once more."  
  
Kurama woke up slowly. Eyes drooping, he tried to yawn but couldn't. His mouth was taped shut.  
"Dammnit!" he thought. "My human body isn't strong enough to break these bonds. At least my mortal life will be shorter."  
He was in such deep despair, Kurama did something he hadn't done for sixteen years: he cried.  
  
"Now I know there's someone you're keeping from me." Hiei scowled. "You don't want to make me angry."  
"I'm telling you, there's nobody else here!" yelled Kazuya. "Now go back to where you came from and leave us in peace!"  
"You're wasting my time-"  
Hiei's sensed something.  
There was another person, only about a mile away.  
"You lied to me, mortal. There is someone else. Who is it?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kazuya was sweating like he was in hell.  
"You don't get it, do you?" Hiei sighed.  
"Get what?" Kazuya asked nervously.  
"I will find that fox, no matter what you do. Now tell me, who is the other person?"  
"It's my- My daughter, okay? You happy now?"  
"Hn. Yes."  
Greatly discouraged, Hiei picked up the pink slipper and walked towards his home.  
  
The ropes binding him were starting to dig into his chest. Kurama was in so much pain, he couldn't even cry anymore.  
"I'm sorry, Kuronue." he thought wearily. "I've failed..."  
Closing his eyes, Kurama fell into a deep sleep.  
  
"Hn. That ningen's daughter is losing energy fast. Should I..." Hiei shook his head. "No. It's their own damn business."  
He started to walk away, when a horrible thought came to his mind.  
"Oh shit. What if the fox was in the body of a girl?!"  
Pivoting, Hiei raced to where the waning spirit was.  
  
"That kid'll figure it out soon, I know it!" Kazuya banged his head on the wall. "What to do, what to do?!"  
"Why don't we just run?" suggested Suuici. "We could change our names-"  
"Great!" Kazuya grabbed his son, got into his car, and drove away.  
  
{I can't think how to end this detailed, so I'm ending it fairytale-ish. 'Kay?}  
  
When Hiei came to the sleeping Kurama, he relized this was no daughter of Kazuya. This was a boy.  
He untied Kurama, and slipped the pink slipper on to the red-head's foot. It was a perfect fit.  
Hiei smiled. He had found Youko Kurama.  
Picking him up gently, the fire Koorime walked back to his home and they lived happily ever after!  
  
Kazuya and Suuici, however, lived the rest of their lives miserably in a small confederate town in the United States of America.  
  
{The End! :) Review!}  
  
If they cannot break out of the broom closet, the anime character will die without ever realizing who they love. We are the authors and authoresses. We control what the anime characters do. If we don't open the door, the anime character most certainly will die all alone. Open the door of the broom closet, so the apocalypse may begin! 


End file.
